Christmas Candy Cane Cake

I'm excited to be taking part again this year with #25daysofcollabs on Instagram with some amazing bakers to celebrate this festive season.  Each day since the start of December, different bakers have been involved in creating a bake from different themes.

This year I've picked three themes to be part of.  Kicking off with this first theme - Christmas Candy.  When thinking about Christmas candy the first thing that comes to mind would be the famous candy canes.

This Christmas Candy Cane Cake is made of a moist chocolate cake with Swiss meringue buttercream in between the layers.  The whole cake is covered in the smooth Swiss meringue buttercream and decorated with crushed candy canes, candy canes, sprinkles and a mini gingerbread man.

Be sure to follow #25daysofcollabs2019 on Instagram to see all the amazing Christmas creations everyday.

Happy Baking xo

Christmas Candy Cane Cake

Ingredients

· 1½ cups plain flour
· 1 cup caster sugar
· ¼ cup cocoa powder
· ¾ teaspoon baking powder
· 1½ teaspoons baking soda
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 2 eggs
· ¼ cup sour cream
· ½ cup buttermilk
· ¾ cup strong coffee
· ¼ cup vegetable oil

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

· 2 egg whites
· 150 grams caster sugar
· 200 grams unsalted butter (room temperature)
· ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Decorations

· Candy Canes
· Mini Gingerbread Man
· Sprinkles (dollarsweets)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Spray four round 4-inch tins with oil and dust some flour around the tins.

3. Place all dry ingredients into a large bowl and using an electric mixer, whisk until all ingredients are well combined.

4. Add all wet ingredients, making sure the coffee has cooled down. Mix until combined and turn beater onto medium and continue mixing for a few minutes.

5. Spoon the mixture into the tins evenly. Make sure to only fill them up a third full and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon or off-set spatula.

6. Bake in oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cakes come out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pans for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Place egg whites and caster sugar into a large bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water on low. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved completely. To check if the sugar has dissolved, rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers.

Remove from heat and using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed for about 10-15 minutes or until the mixture has completely cooled.

Remove the whisk attachment and replace with the paddle attachment. Slowly add portions of the room temperature butter and beat well before adding next portions.

Once all the butter has been added, beat on high for several minutes and then reduce to low speed and continue to beat for another few minutes to remove air bubbles.

Frosting is ready for use.

Assembling the cake

Cut off the tops of the four cakes if needed to make them even.

Place one cake onto the cake board, securing it with a bit of buttercream at the bottom.

Pipe or spread some Swiss meringue buttercream around the top of the cake and stack the next cake and do the same to the remaining cakes.

Lightly crumb coat the whole cake and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Create the final coat on the cake and place cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Remove cake from the fridge and pipe swirls around the top of the cake. Place two candy canes to look like a love heart.

Crush some candy canes and place it around the bottom of the cake to create a border and also sprinkle some on top of the cake.

Place a mini gingerbread man and candy cane on the front side of the cake. Add sprinkles to the side and top of the cake.

Tips

· Batter makes 4 x 4-inch round cakes.
· Or you can bake 3 x 6-inch cakes.
· You can also line the bottoms of the tins with some baking paper.
· Remember to rotate the tins halfway through for a more even bake.
· Allow cakes to cool completely before icing and decorating.

Did you bake this recipe?

Remember to tag @youcanbakeittoo on Instagram & hashtag #youcanbakeittoo 

so I can see your wonderful bakes.